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Gaza scholar blast victim walks again

FORMER Oxford Brookes Gaza scholar Hassan Al Hallaq, who was seriously injured in Gaza last week, has began walking again in hospital.

Mr Al Hallaq suffered serious leg injuries when it is believed Israeli forces bombed a house where he and his relatives were staying, killing eight members of his family including his wife Samar, who was eight months pregnant, and their sons Qinan, aged six, and Saji, four.

At the weekend he was transferred to the al Makassad hospital in East Jerusalem where he is being treated for his injuries but it is expected he will return to Gaza soon.

Mr Al Hallaq’s friend Sir Ian Chalmers, from Jericho, said he had received an email from him which said he had walked for the first time with the help of a walker.

He has since undergone further operations to fix his fractured thigh bone. Doctors said his prognosis is good.

Sir Ian said: “He will want to return to Gaza even though it is one of the most dangerous places on earth right now because his father, who was also bereaved, is still there. Things are looking good for him physically but obviously I can’t tell what his mental state is.”

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